By reporter Lê Quỳnh, “Báo
Người Đô Thị”
Crossing the Tonle
Sap Lake on the way to the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve [source: Ngô Thế Vinh’s private
collection]
[1] Lê Quỳnh – Doctor Vinh, 17 years have gone by, with
the countless experience you have personally gone through, you painted a real
and harrowing picture concerning the ongoing catastrophic impacts caused by the
hydrolelectric dams on the livelihood of the inhabitants of the Mekong River
Basin. To this day, this is still the
case. We can say that, very early on, you have entertained extremely perceptive
and foreboding observations on those
impacts from the dams on the Mekong’s current in general and Mekong River Delta
in particular. What are your thoughts on the present situation?
[1] Ngô Thế Vinh – Up
to the year 2000, at the mention of “The Mekong Drained Dry” many people
considered it an oxymoron especially when a flood was mercilessly ravaging the Western
Region / Mekong Delta at that time. Upon
hearing the title of the book being mentioned, a religious who was busily doing
relief works exclaimed: “How can anybody say the Mekong is being drained dry
while we are watching houses being carried away by the current, people drowned
right before our eyes?” However, if one realizes that floods and droughts come
with the Rainy and Dry Seasons – a natural order of things with the Mekong’s
current and her basins over past millenniums - then the only difference is that
they have become more severe and destructive in our days. We just can’t bury
our head in the sand, like an ostrich, and blame everything on “natural
disasters” but must have enough courage and call things by their correct names.
We must take into account the “man made” factor that has contributed to the
destabilization of the entire complex yet fragile eco-system of the Mekong over
past decades of unsustainaible and self destructive development. I can cite a
long list of “man made” disasters: (1) suicidal deforestation in the entire
basin; these rainforests acted as giant sponges that retained rain water during
the Rainy Season and discharged it in the Dry One. They served as nature’s
regulators of the rivers’ flow but have now disappeared from the face of the
earth. (2) the building of hydroelectric dams not only on the main current but
also on all the Mekong’s tributaries from upstream to downstream – most notably
the series of dams of the Mekong Cascades in Yunnan Province, China. The dam
reservoirs besides retaining the water also prevent alluvia i. e. natural
fertilizer from reaching the Mekong Delta; with hydropower come
industrialization and urbanization resulting in waste being discharged into the
rivers creating pollution of the Mekong’s current; (3) we must not omit China’s
plan to use explosives to destroy rapids and waterfalls to open the Mekong for
navigation from Yunnan all the way to Vientiane. Consequently, China has transformed the
current flow and created soil erosion along the banks; (4) then, we have to
consider the errors, mistakes in the hydrological programs being commited in
the Mekong Delta like:
unplanned irrigation, local dykes construction, and sand removal from rivers...
with immediate consequences: floods will be more pronounced even during the
Rainy Seasons, droughts more severe in the Dry one, seawater intrusion deeper
inland. The main culprits are us, humans, on top of that we have climate
change, El Nino... nature’s own contribution. Not owning up to the truth and
blaming everything on nature is tantamount to dangerous denial of the facts on
the parts of the present Vietnamese leaders.
[2] LQ –
On the Mekong’s main current, upstream, China has been building and continues to build hydroelectric dams,
waterways… downstream, Laos is doing the
same, Thailand is diverting the Mekong’s
water even during the Dry Season… in the face of such situation, what do you fear the most?
[2] NTV – In the first two
decades of the 21st century, with the two largest dams Nuozhadu 5,850 MW and Xiaowan 4,200 MW built, as a whole,
Beijing has achieved its goal for electrification on half of the Lancang’s current
of the Lancang, the Chinese name of the Mekong. According to Fred Pearce of
Yale University, the Mekong has been transformed into China’s water tower
and electrical powerhouse. On his part, Philip Hirsch, Director of the
Mekong Research Group at the University of Sydney observed: “The two giant dams
Nuozhadu and Xiaowan will affect the flow of the Mekong in its entirety, all the way to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.” With only 6 dams built on the main stream, China has already
reached a total output of 15,150 MW – that is the equivalent of more than half
of the hydropower potentials of the Lancang. In the
first decades of the 21st century, it is expected that China can
easily finish building the remaining 8 dams in its overall plan as well as any
new ones it wishes to build. We cannot simply conclude that the impacts from
the series of dams in the Mekong Cascades in Yunnan are negligible because only
16% of the Mekong’s water comes from China. The building of those dams actually
started the destruction of the long-term balance in the ecosystem of the Mekong
basins. The dams’ reservoirs in Yunnan have the capacity to retain over 30 billion
cubic meters of water but, at the same time, they also prevent a huge amount of
alluvia from flowing down to the Mekong Delta. Threatened with water penury,
lack of alluvia in addition to salinization, the once fertile Mekong River
Delta, the cradle of the Civilization of Orchard, may face the bleak future of
being transformed one day into barren lands because of desertification.
To answer
your question: in the face of such situation, what do I fear the most? Clearly
Vietnam is caught off guard and finds herself ill prepared to fight the
“undeclared environmental war” with China.
The call for China to release the water
from the dams in Yunnan to save the Mekong Delta speaks volume about Vietnam’s "vulnerability ". Its
leaders could have foreseen the danger years ago. Nowadays, we have to contend
with the addition of 9 dam projects on the mainstream in Laos and 2 more in
Cambodia. The proposition to save the Mekong Delta is getting more challenging
and complex while Vietnam is still groping for a coherent strategy to deal with
it.
[3] LQ – the
Mekong Agreement of 1995 is seen as a monitoring agency tasked with the
protection of the Mekong. However, China refused to join. Similarly, The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes (Water Convention) in 1997 was signed by
Vietnam in 2014. It was expressedly designed to correct and limit the
deficiencies in the existing ageements pertaining to the basins like the Mekong
Agreement of 1995. In the process, China has promoted a new venue: The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation of November
2015. What is your view of this institution? What are the opportunities opened
to Vietnam and the other participating countries in the basin? In your opinìon,
does China have any hidden agenda behind all this?
[3] NTV
-- The Mekong River Committee was established by the United Nations
since 1957. However, all its development projects were put on hold on account
of the Vietnam War. After 1975, during peace time, the countries in the Mekong
Basin again turned their attention to the exploitation of its resources. Again
the need to reestablish a transnational regulatory agency similar to the Mekong
River Committee reemerged. On April 5th ,1995, the four member countries of the Lower Mekong
Basin met at Chiang Rai, North Thailand to sign the “Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the
Mekong River Basin” creating the Mekong River Commission. Representing his
country, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyễn Mạnh Cầm signed the Agreement
accepting a crucial change in its bylaw: the removal of the veto power of the
member countries. This is a complete departure from the Mekong River Committee
(1957) that gave its member countries the right to veto any projects deemed
detrimental to the Mekong’s main stream. (It is not without reason that the
founders of the Mekong River Committee had the “vision” to empower the member
countries with such an extremely important right). In a statement made before
the Conference on the Mekong of 1999 in Southern California, I observed that
this is a miscalculation of strategic importance on the part of Vietnam since
this country lies at the southernmost location of the river.
[4] LQ – The fact is the 6 countries in the Mekong Basin: China, Myanmar,
Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam are faced with urgent and serious
problems like economic, social as well as conservation of the environment –
ecosystem. Nevertheless, geopolitical differences present considerable
obstacles preventing those countries from cooperating with each other. The need
arises therefore of finding a way to harmonize the national interests of the
concerned parties. In your view, how do present political events impact
regional cooperation as well as development in the Mekong Region? What are the
prospects for the development of the Mekong within the context of climate
change?
[4] NTV – Referring to the Chinese initiative to form the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, an institution of 6 nations that
border the Mekong, a number of people are quick to offer the optimistic
assessment that this is a good opportunity to force China to give more
consideration to the interests of the countries in the Lower Mekong. This optimistic
view may, in the end, prove well founded or it may not. However, we must never
forget that since 1995, China has chosen to stay away from joining the Mekong
River Commission comprising of only the four nations of Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam. To this day, this country has built 6 hydroelectric dams
and can therefore rest reassured that its hydro electrification program on the
2,200 km long section of the Mekong that runs within its borders is for the
most part completed.
China’s intiative to
establish the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation can therefore be looked upon as a
strategic move to give this country an opportunity to burnish its friendly
public image and extend its influence to allow it to eventually establish total
dominance over the Mekong River Basin. With its technological capability and
unlimited financial resources, China has all the assets at its disposal to
eliminate American and Japanese influence from the Mekong River Basin. By the
same token, it has neutralized the predominance of the US Seventh Fleet in the
East Sea after it occupied the islands that belonged to Vietnam and built
military installations on them.
The future of the
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation totally depends on the questionable good will of big
brother China. Those China old hands who have been keeping a watchful eye on
this country’s behaviors over the years, are however of the same mind: Beijing
has failed to show "Good track
records" on this issue.
Another factor we must
also consider is whether the small member countries in the Lancang-Mekong
Cooperation possess the needed “gray matter” and most importantly
the shared interests to help them come together and form a common front or not.
We are presently facing this stark reality: while
China maintains its unwavering policy of divide and rule; the countries in the
lower basin continue to display a disregard for the "Spirit of the Mekong", play “odd bedfellows" with
each other, and harbor animosity among themselves. If nothing is done to change
the situation, then, the Lancang - Mekong Cooperation would only be another
venue for China to exert more influence on the countries downstream.
In case China genuinely
shows its good faith, this nation can be persuaded to join a Lancang-Mekong
Treaty in which indivual countries are respected and treated as equals. This
Treaty could be viewed as an expanded Mekong River Commission that also
includes China and Myanmar.
A summary overview of the
region offers this picture: PM Hunsen shows unconditional support for China’s
policy. In spite of all warnings, Laos forges ahead with its plan to construct
the 9 dams on the Mekong’s main current [it is currently building the Xayaburi
and Don Sahong dams]. Thailand never stops its water diversion from the Mekong
to irrigate its arid lands. Myanmar is not a serious player since only a small
section of the Mekong in the Golden Triangle runs through its territory. As for
Vietnam, this country appears to be at a loss to act and unprepared especially
in the formation of "gray matter".
It can be said that this country lacks a “winning strategy on the Mekong
chess board” as it decides to participate in the Lancang – Mekong Cooperation.
The urgent thing to do: we need, right
away, to move the Mekong River National Committee located at 23 Phố Hàng Tre,
Hanoi to the Mekong Delta and establish a Department of the Mekong at the
University of Cần Thơ. This "think tank" will set
up a strategic roadmap, a Mekong File for the use of the Vietnamese delegations
attending Summits on the Mekong. Mekong
Delta SOS must be ranked top priority in the agenda of each meeting of the
Council of State, the National Assembly and also the Politburo. A catastrophic
drought in the Mekong Delta, if warranted, must be referred to the United
Nations forum for discussion.
[5] LQ – How do you view the role played by the communities, social organizations, NGOs in the countries of the Mekong Basin that are still divided by conflicting outlooks.
In your opinion, how effective are they inside of Vietnam? What more do they
need to do?
[5] NTV – Taking an
overall view of the 5 countries in the Lower Mekong countries [with Myanmar
being the 6th and new
member], a foreign reporter observed: it is quite rare to see any community
organizations, social websites in Vietnam raise their voice about the issues
facing the Mekong. On the other hand, it is common occurrence to hear from the
inhabitants of Northern Thailand, of Laos and even from the Cambodians who are
living under Hun Sen’s ironclad control on these issues. What is more troubling
is the deafening silence coming from the 20 million inhabitants of the Mekong
Delta. This is quite understandable when we consider that the majority of the
peasants are not well educated by an education system whose quality is rated
lower than that in the Central Highlands. Besides, they are kept uninformed by
a state system that practiced mind-control. That explains why we see them
display a resigned attitude. Talking about the NGOs – the present authorities
have yet to promulgate an offìcial status for the NGOs to operate lawfully
even though their staff are well trained and
educated. Their pronouncements are constantly being controlled and directed by
a government’s policy known for its nearsightedness that stifles any
intellectual initiatives. But in spite of all this, looking from outside
the country, a light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. Active efforts are underway to establish
authentic civil social groups whose voices do carry weight. Naturally there is
a price to be paid for those trailblazing achievements. This is an irreversible
process and the time has arrived for the government to realize that the use of
force will prove powerless in their attempt to
block the march forward of the trend of our time.
The Tonle Sap Lake:
Dry Season 2,500 km2
[left], Rainy Season
12,500 km2 [right], The Tonle Sap Lake gasping for
air can no longer contract or expand with the Dry or Rainy Season and is being
drained dry [source: Tom Fawthrop]
[6] LQ -- Likewise, what is your impression on the role of Vietnamese
scientists at the present time in regard to the Mekong “dossier” in general and
the Mekong River Delta in particular? What new “institutions”or “mechanism” do
they need to help them become more effective in their work?
[6] NTV – I do not have the chance to
meet or be in contact through the Internet with all of them. However, I do keep
abreast of their activities over the years.
They did and are doing their works under the extremely difficult
circumstances that exist inside the country today. Their effforts to voice the need to conserve
a healthy eco-system for Vietnam though muted have not gone unnoticed or
unappreciated. Overseas, we always believe that the Mekong “dossier” and the
preservation of the Mekong Delta must be won by scientists, young people and
college students inside the country. Vietnam does not lack “gray matter”. What
she lacks is the means, freedom of action, and “autonomy” enjoyed by academic
institutions. We can come to this conclusion: "Democracy and the Environment” must form an "Inseparable
Duo."
[7] LQ – We can say that you have conducted observations and maintained precious materials that could be regarded as
a treasure trove about the culture, history, environment…pertaining to the
4.800 km-long Mekong - from Tibet to the
South Sea - and its 65 million inhabitants. In addition to factual notes you
also recorded your personal comments and analysis supported by technical
information or materials not at all related to medicine, your profession. If
given the opportunity to describe yourself, which one of the following will you
choose: doctor, author, journalist, or
scientist?
[7] NTV – I graduated from
the Saigon Medical School in 1968 then practiced in Vietnam and overseas for
over 40 years. Medicine practically has been an integral part of my life. During
my student years I wrote, worked as a reporter, got involved in social works
like so many of my contemporaries. Our generation did not only devote ourselves to our studies
but was very much interested in the issues confronting the country like war and
peace, freedom and democracy, social justice especially in regard to the
minorities. In later years, I personally paid special attention to
environmental issues including those of the Mekong River and the Mekong Delta.
Since 1995, I worked with the Friends of the Mekong Group and continue to do so
for 21 years already. I have been given many hats to wear. But generally
speaking, to borrow journalist Long Ân’s words, I feel most comfortable with
the name “the green man” of the ecology. I would like to avail myself of this
occasion to offer the readers of Người Đô Thị the Website address of the Friends
of the Mekong Group / Viet Ecology Foundation which is www.vietecology.org. It contains a good number of up-to-date information.
Conclusion:
As a conclusion to this
interview with reporter Lê Quỳnh, I would like to share
this thought with the scientists and environmentalists in Vietnam: if we succeeded in saving the heartbeats of
the Tonle Sap Lake, we would at the same time arrive at a workable solution to
the threats the Tonle Sap Basin in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in our country
are facing. Naturally we will be presented with a hefty price tag and Vietnam
just cannot afford to let Cambodia pay it alone. It has to settle its fair
share too. A dialogue in such a spirit among the experts both inside and
outside Vietnam is already taking place in the VEF forum.
NGÔ THẾ VINH
California,
04.12.2016
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